In response to some in the Lincoln-Sudbury community

Monday

May 14, 2018 at 11:51 AMMay 14, 2018 at 11:51 AM

Dear Sir/Madam:

Some in the Lincoln-Sudbury community have reacted to the recently filed lawsuit against the school without concern for either facts or careful thought. Rather than lessening the harm done in the case in question, they have spread more hurt within the LS community. A 2013 incident of alleged sexual assault on a former Lincoln-Sudbury student has been in the news because the student has filed a lawsuit that charges the school and specific administrators with “failing and refusing to address the incident or to discipline the perpetrators” as well as “constructively disciplin[ing] and stigmatiz[ing her] by forcing her to sit apart from her classmates and spend her days sitting in a common area.” In addition to being reported in the Boston Globe and other news outlets, further attention has been brought to the case by an online petition begun by “concerned parents” and a student walk-out at Lincoln-Sudbury meant to protest the administration’s handling of the incident.

Both the lawsuit and the actions of the parents and students fly in the face of the determination of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), issued in response to a complaint brought against the school at the time of the incident. The formal language of OCR’s conclusion -- “OCR found insufficient evidence that the school failed to promptly and equitably respond to the complainants' allegations” -- does not convey the extent to which the OCR determination shows the claims of failure on the school’s part were virtually all, quite simply, false [my emphasis]. Anyone seeking to come to a fair conclusion about the school’s handling of this incident is obliged to read the entirety of the OCR document. The Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee has issued a statement on the lawsuit with a redacted copy of the OCR determination attached. The final sentence of the statement is “The School Committee stands behind its policies and unequivocally supports the administrators named in the lawsuit.” The complete statement and redacted OCR determination may be found on the School Committee’s website. (Here are direct links: https://www.lsrhs.net/sites/schoolcommittee/files/2018/05/Statement-Regarding-Recently-Filed-Lawsuit.pdfhttp://files.constantcontact.com/665c4a09001/4131a61a-bd20-4083-9322-08dab53cb9f8.pdf )

As a former LS teacher, I have always been committed to the safety and well-being of students. I also value greatly the thoughtful analysis of problems that is crucial to a sound education as well as a rational, just society. The goals for our students and community to which likely all reading this letter would sign their name will not be served by a failure to consider facts and think clearly.